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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2114 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1236
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act increasing access to MassHealth dental providers.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.12th Hampden1/19/2023Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk2/23/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/23/2023Susannah M. Whipps2nd Franklin2/23/2023Tackey Chan2nd Norfolk2/23/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/23/2023Christine P. Barber34th Middlesex2/23/2023Jon Santiago9th Suffolk2/23/2023Tricia Farley-Bouvier2nd Berkshire2/23/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/23/2023Todd M. Smola1st Hampden2/23/2023Patricia A. Duffy5th Hampden2/23/2023Shirley B. Arriaga8th Hampden2/23/2023Michael J. Finn6th Hampden3/3/2023Gerard J. Cassidy9th Plymouth3/3/2023Danielle W. Gregoire4th Middlesex3/8/2023Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex3/8/2023John J. CroninWorcester and Middlesex3/8/2023 2 of 2
Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex3/13/2023Russell E. Holmes6th Suffolk3/13/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2114 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1236
By Representative Puppolo of Springfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1236) of
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. and others relative to increasing access to MassHealth dental providers.
Health Care Financing.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act increasing access to MassHealth dental providers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 20XX Official
2Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after Section 82 the following section:-
3 SECTION 83. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, and subject
4to appropriation, the secretary of health and human services shall provide MassHealth
5supplemental payments to eligible MassHealth-participating dental providers who render
6covered dental services to an additional ten or greater MassHealth beneficiaries in a given year
7compared to the number of beneficiaries they provided services to in the prior year.
8 (b) The supplemental payment established in section (a) shall initially be set at $31 for
9the first year and shall be distributed to eligible dental providers as a rate add-on for each patient
10encounter in which a MassHealth-covered dental service are administered to an actively enrolled
11MassHealth beneficiary. The payment rate shall be subject to re-evaluation by the secretary of
12health and human services under Section 13C and 13D of this chapter. 2 of 2
13 (c) The supplemental payment established in section (a) will be available to providers
14located in twenty specific municipalities that are designated by the secretary of health and human
15services as having a high number or proportion of MassHealth enrollees and low rates of
16utilization of dental services.
17 (d) To be eligible for supplemental payments dental providers must meet each of the
18following criteria:
19 (1)Be a dentist or public health dental hygienists licensed in the state of
20Massachusetts.
21 (2)Be enrolled with MassHealth as an approved billing provider.
22 (3)Provide dental services to a minimum of ten additional MassHealth beneficiaries
23than the number of beneficiaries the dental provider provided services to in the previous year.
24 (4)Provide dental services at a location in eligible municipalities, as determined by
25the secretary of health and human services under section (c).
26 (e) MassHealth shall promulgate regulations to implement this section. These regulations
27shall define provider-eligible municipalities using available data on past year MassHealth
28enrollment and utilization.